Cheese milk is the milk destined for the manufacture of cheese, traditionally also called “Kesselmilch” (kettle milk), derived from the cheese kettle, in which cheese was prepared ages ago. It is also called process milk.
Cheese is selected, standardized, more or less pretreated milk, which eventually has some additive; it is basic raw material in the manufacture of cheese. Cheese has to meet very high standards, so it must be selected very carefully. Its suitability is indicated by its disposition and its fermentation characteristics.
Disposition is the sum of all factors that influence the growth of microorganisms in milk, if procured aseptically from the udder.
If no contamination has occurred, then the key factors are animal stock, climate, soil conditions, feeding, maintenance of the animals, health, stage of lactation and chemical composition of the milk.
It is specifically the regional difference in feed (e.g. due to climate, soil conditions, fertilization), which impart the special characteristics to milk, which is later converted into cheese. For example, milk from cows that roam in the mountains is especially suited for cheese types like Emmenthaler. Therefore production of some cheese types remains localized. On the other hand, bad or spoiled feed can affected adversely.
Milk for Cheese Manufacturing
